It’s not very often that you can say a catalog in the art quilt world is actually unusual, but this one is. The Sightlines’ exhibit catalog is 64 pages, hardcover, with 6-page gatefold that opens in the center showcasing the ENTIRE exhibit as it will be shown on exhibit. The catalog was designed by Deidre Adams with all photography by Gregory Case. The catalog is available from the Studio Art Quilt Associates’ store here.

The exhibit will be premiering at International Quilt Festival in Houston this week. You can preview and purchase the artwork here.

The publication of this catalog was supported by a generous donation from Herb Anhaltzer, “in memory of Mary Anhaltzer, who wanted to put art quilts on the map.” In 1999, Mary opened “Thirteen Moons Gallery, the first and only gallery in Sante Fe (and quite possibly the country) to focus on the hot “new” medium of the art quilt.”

Each artist has a four-page spread with an image of their installation, detail image, artist statement, and artist bio. The artists include:

There is also a curator’s introduction by me, the person who was lucky enough to be chosen to invite the artists. I emphasize in my statement that I didn’t want artists who conceived of the sightline as a gimmick, but rather those who would be able to subsume it under a larger philosophical statement. The artists succeeded beyond my wildest hopes.

The exhibit itself is unique in that each of fourteen artists created a complete installation of five to eight artworks to fill a ten-foot space with only one inch between artworks. Each installation is linked to the next by two eight inch squares before and after the main artworks. All the artwork have a line, literal or implied running through them It sounds confusing, but here is Pat Owoc’s installation:

Photo by Gregory Case

Landthreads: Sightlines by Pat Owoc

Special Notes: Clairan Ferrano is the Managing Curator of the exhibit. The tACTile group of Australia introduced this concept to SAQA with an exhibit entitled eyeline.